


Home is Just Another Word for You

by morganoconner



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-28
Updated: 2012-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-31 20:57:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/348303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganoconner/pseuds/morganoconner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not that Danny misses his partner; that would be ridiculous. Maybe it's just heartburn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home is Just Another Word for You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [](http://shoot-the-curl.livejournal.com/profile)[**shoot-the-curl**](http://shoot-the-curl.livejournal.com/) challenge.

Danny was fidgeting.

In general, he tended to be big on movement. He knew that, knew the way he flailed when he talked, and paced when he was on the phone, and had trouble sitting perfectly still for more than a few minutes at a time. He was more than willing to cop to that particular character flaw.

But he didn't fidget. At least, not until today.

It was just this stupid tie. This stupid, _annoying_ tie that two years ago wouldn't have bothered him in the least; now it felt like it was strangling him. He kept playing with the knot and trying to make it feel looser without actually looking frumpier, and he knew he wasn't succeeding very well.

Danny used to be a not-frumpy-looking professional. Now he'd apparently become _Hawaiian_.

This was all Steve's fault, damn him.

So when his little sister came up to him, giggling and batting his hand away so she could tug the tie off him herself, that was exactly what he told her. "This is all Steve's fault," he said in the grumpiest tone he could manage. He scowled as she handed him the balled up strip of fabric, which he shoved into his pocket as he silently tried to think of some form of retribution on the man who'd ruined neckwear for him forever.

"I'm sure it is," Becka said, consoling him with a pat on the arm. The only thing that stopped him from reaching out to cuff her over the head was that her hair looked beautiful, and she'd knee him in the groin if he messed it up before the wedding reception was over.

"Shut up," he said instead.

"So mature, big brother." She grinned sunnily at him with those big doe eyes that had been used against him far too many times to be at all effective anymore. "Y'know, a lot of things seem to be your partner's fault."

"Yeah, well, guy's a menace, what're you gonna do?" At her decidedly knowing gaze, he blinked. "What? What the hell is that look for? I've done nothing to warrant that look, thank you very much!"

"I'm just saying," she said with an innocent shrug. "A lot of things seem to go back to this Steve character. You know, I think I've heard more about him the past two weeks than I have about Gracie?"

Danny was horrified. He gaped outright at her for a good thirty seconds before sputtering, "What? No! I told you all about Grace, her tennis and piano lessons, and the new bike she got, and me and Step-Stan going in together on putting her into ballerina camp or whatever it's called. I…you've heard…"

"All about Steve's insanity, and his craziness, and the way his eyes light up when he's about to do something stupid, and every new way he's gotten hurt protecting you, and every new ding he's responsible for putting on your car, and how much he loves spending time with Grace, and all the reasons Grace says he's her new favorite uncle, and why you think this is going to end in tears, and –"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Danny said weakly. "He's just…"

"On your mind?" She winked, wrapping a hand around his wrist and guiding him over to a chair.

He scowled, batting her away and dropping unceremoniously into the chair like it had been his idea all along. "Well, come on, I go through every day with the guy, usually getting shot at and fearing for my life. It leaves an impression."

"Or you might just miss him." Becka crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

And now Danny was back to gaping at her. "What? _What?_ Are you insane? Believe me, I _needed_ a break from his particular brand of madness, I was _very glad_ to have an excuse to get away. Miss him? No. Not on your life. Not even a little bit." He stopped flailing, took a deep breath, and tried to ignore the sudden desire to check his phone for messages. Like he'd been doing every ten minutes. All week.

Becka just shook her head. "Uh huh, okay big brother, whatever you say." Her smile beamed out at him again as she patted him on the head like a goddamn puppy. "Also, keep the tie off. You look much more dashing without it." And then she winked one more time and bounced off to go dance with her new husband.

Jesus, Danny needed to get a new family.

And new friends.

Definitely a new partner.

Was it too late to just get a whole damn refund on his life?

He spent a good ten minutes glaring at the cheesy heart-shaped candle on the table like it had done something to personally offend him, and then his phone buzzed.

He'd yanked it out of his pocket and jabbed at the screen before he even registered the way his heart had started pounding or the no doubt goofy-looking smile that crossed his face when he saw the display name flash _McGarrett_.

When he realized both of those things, he sat perfectly still for two entire horrified minutes, and then he frantically tried to think of a way to call a do-over.

Oh God help him, he actually _missed_ Steve McGarrett, best friend and bane of his existence.

Christ, it was definitely time to track down that therapist's number.

***

Steve glanced down at his phone as it beeped, grinning at Danny's message. _Next time, you asshole, let the rookie drive. She clearly has more sense than you do._

"Uncle Steve, is that Danno?" Grace asked from the couch, where she was flipping through her new _Harry Potter_ book and waiting for Steve to make her a promised pancake brunch.

"Yep," he said.

"You're teasing him, aren't you?" she asked knowingly. The kid was way too smart for her own good. Took after her dad that way.

"Maybe just a little." He grinned at her, and she giggled.

"Can we call him?" Her eyes lit up, and how was Steve supposed to resist that look?

It definitely wasn't because he'd been waiting for an excuse anyway.

He dialed Danny's number and held up a finger to his mouth to tell Grace to stay quiet for a second. She smiled brightly, bouncing a little in her seat. Her book fell to the floor, temporarily forgotten.

" _What do you want, you freak? I'm in the middle of a wedding!_ "

"The reception," Steve said to Danny. "And your sister is probably way too happy right now to care."

There was a short pause, then, " _Okay, yeah, you got me there. I've never seen her with those googly eyes before, it's freaking me out a little. Seriously though, what's up? Or did you just miss me that much that you needed to hear my voice, huh, is that it?_ "

Steve could hear Danny's smirk. He ignored the way his heart flipped over. "Nah, but somebody else did. Thought you might like to say hello."

Another pause. " _You've got Gracie with you?_ "

Steve shrugged even though Danny wasn't there to see it. "Stan's brother on the mainland got into a car accident. Nothing serious, but they wanted to check in on him, so I offered to baby-sit for the weekend."

" _Oh geez. Let me tell you something, you menace, if you corrupt my daughter, you and I will be having words, do you hear me?_ "

"Danny, I would never do that," Steve said, all innocence.

" _Sure, babe, I believe you entirely. Do me a favor and give her the phone so I can see if she corroborates your story. If she doesn't, you're a dead man._ "

"It's like you don't even trust me," Steve sighed. He walked over to Grace, said, "Bye, Danno," just before handing it off to her.

Then he went into the kitchen and spent the next twenty minutes cooking Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes and listening to Grace chat happily with her father. He tried very hard not to be jealous of the sweet little ten-year-old.

***

Once Danny realized what his problem was, time seemed to slow down to an unbearable crawl. He'd promised his sister a month; two weeks to get everything done for the wedding, a week to apartment-and-pet-sit while she was on her honeymoon, and a week to help her pack up all her crap and get her and Josh moved into their new place.

It had all seemed so simple when he'd first requested the leave from Five-0. He'd figured on enjoying the break from palm trees and pineapples, he'd thought he'd _like_ being back home.

Now he was just plain miserable, and it had only been three days since Becka's wedding.

The problem was, he'd already been off balance since getting off the plane, looking for Steve constantly over his shoulder or across from him at the kitchen table even before he'd figured out the reason _why_. Steve was just always there, and having him _not_ be there was like missing a limb.

It sucked, and it sucked doubly because Danny didn't _want_ it to suck. He wanted to not be missing his partner like a goofy teenager with his first crush.

This was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous. Steve would be laughing his ass off if he could see Danny right now.

God damn it.

***

The phone buzzed. _What are you doing right now?_

Steve blinked, grinned a little, typed, _High-speed chases. Getting shot at. Leaping tall buildings. The usual_. He was actually sitting on his couch, bored beyond belief. Seemed like the perps of Hawaii were all laying low and giving Five-0 a vacation that coincided with Danny's. Which figured, because right now Steve would give his right arm and a couple of extra fingers for a new case _because_ Danny was away.

_Very funny. No really, you're adorable._

Well, Steve certainly liked to think so. He started to type something to that effect back, but then another message cut him off.

_You miss me?_

A week ago, he might have replied with, _You wish_ or _Wait, you haven't been here?_ , but it had been a long week, on top of two _other_ long weeks, and Steve did miss Danny, the same way he might have missed that right arm and those extra fingers. He sighed and sent, _Yeah, Danno. I do_ , before he had a chance to think better of it.

"Awww!"

Steve jerked upright from his slouch, his heart pounding, reaching for his gun before the voice and the man attached to it actually had a chance to register. The fact that he'd been taken by surprise had his adrenaline pumping and fear clouding his vision for a fraction of a second.

And then he blinked, took in Danny's bright blue eyes and nose-crinkling smile and the way he was leaning against the entryway fiddling with his phone.

"Well, guess it's a good thing I'm awesome then, huh?" Danny asked, shoving the phone in his pocket and looking cool as a cucumber as he smirked.

"You…I thought you weren't back till next week!" Steve stood up and took three long strides forward before he thought to pause and wonder what he was doing.

Danny was watching him, still grinning. He straightened up and tugged on Steve's sleeve to reel him in. "Get over here, you goof," he said, and then he was wrapping Steve in a hug. Danny was hugging him, and neither of them had come close to dying in the last few weeks that Steve knew of. He wanted to ask what was going on here, but damn it, Danny was warm and solid and _here_ , and right now that just took precedence over everything else in his brain, so it was easier to just close his eyes, tighten his hold, and enjoy it.

"So come on," he finally said after a few long moments, pulling himself away because otherwise he was afraid he was never going to be able to let go. "What gives? You've been talking about how much you miss Jersey since the day I met you, and your first real trip back for any length of time, you ditch out early?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging and grinning that little self-deprecating grin he had. "Well, what can I say, I was in a hurry. One of my favorite people in the world was here missing me, y'know?"

Steve stilled, not even daring to think it. "Grace went home days ago, Danny."

"I know she did." Danny's eyes were warm as they found Steve's and pinned him to the spot. "That wasn't who I was talking about, babe."

"So…" Steve swallowed, because he couldn't afford for there to be any miscommunication here. He didn't think he could take that, not with everything so close to the surface. "What are you saying here?"

"I'm saying…" Danny paused, his lips twitching and curling into another slow smile, and oh God, was he _blushing_? "I'm saying I missed you, too."

It was good enough. "That's what I was really hoping you meant," Steve said, feeling his heart do a few somersaults in his chest. Danny opened his mouth to reply, but Steve didn't give him the chance. He stepped forward and looped an arm around his partner, dragging him into the kiss he hadn't known he'd been waiting for this whole damn time.

It was worth the wait.

But still… "Next time," he murmured against Danny's lips, enjoying the way Danny was all but vibrating against him, "I'm going with you."


End file.
